Register actuating device



Nov. 15, 1949 F1. J. ROUAN ETAI- REGISTER ACTUATING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 23, 41948 INV 5 3 ra/795 aan a//e anso/7 `BY ATTORNEY Nov. 15, 1949 F. J. Rc-)UAN ETAI. 2,488,143

REGISTER ACTUATING DEVICE Filed March 25, 1948 3 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Nov. 15, 1949 F. J. ROUAN ETAL 2,438,143

REGISTER ACTUATING DEVICE Filed March 23, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTO R N EY Patented Nov. 15, 1949 REGISTER ACTUATIN G DEVICE Francis J. Ronan, Stamford,r Conn., and Walter J. Hanson, Port Chester, N. Y., assignors to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Applicationy March 23, 1948, Serial No. 16,558

Claims. l.

This invention relates to actuator mechanism for use in efecting the accumulation oi settable values in register numeral wheels.

It is one object of the invention to effect the accumulation of settable values in register wheels by means of actuator mechanism, wherein the controlling element includes a combined toothed and non-*toothed portion and wherein the nonwhich is geared to a register numeral wheel, is

adapted' to be rotated when a pinion, meshing therewith` and moved' therearound, is prevented from rotating.

With. the above and other objects in view,.whichv willv appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of Darts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in the precise em.- bodiment of the invention herein disciosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit oi the invention.

A preferred embodiment of the invention isv illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1' is a part elevational and part sectional view showing actuator and accumulator mechanism in a postage printing and registering device, also a printing drum;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1, with parts in section and parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a front sectional view takenA along the lines 3*-3 of Fig; 1;

Fig. 4 is a view showing a development of the variable toothed and non-toothed portions of an actuator gear on a iiat plane; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail View showing an actuator pinion engaged with the non-toothed portion of the actuator gear.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the struc-- ture illustrated includes postage printing and registering means, supported by a base i. A printing drum hasincluded therein the usual type wheels I3, which are adapted to be adjusted to a desired value through themedium of gearing,

indicated generally at I4, and slidable rack bars l5. The rack bars I5' are mounted Within a drum shaft i5 to which the drum i is iixed.V ri'he shaft I 6 has a collar |7 fixed thereto, which collar is mounted Within a bearing i2 provided in the front wall lea of the base I. The rear end oi the shaft is mounted in a bearing I8, provided in the rear wall Iilb of the base It, and is adapted to be coupled to a drivel in a manner disclosed in Patent 2,141,119, whereby the shaft l is adapted to be rotated during each machine cycle of machine operation.

Accumulator or registering mechanism is provided, as indicated generally at I9, and comprises a plurality of numeral wheels 2|, mounted on a shaft 22, and supported above and parallel to the drum shaft I6. Each value printed is adapted to be registered in the numeral wheels 2| of the accumulator mechanism duringr each cycle of operation.

To elect the actuation of said numeral wheels 2|, actuating mechanism is provided which comprises an internal actuator gear 23, mounted in a stationary position on the front wall Illa of the base IQ. rIhe actuator gear 23- has teeth 24 arranged ln a manner best indicated in Fig. 4, wherein it will be noted that the U0 position includes a full complement of teeth, while the 1 value position shows a short non-toothed portion at 25. A progressively larger non-toothed portion, than that indicated for the value 1, is provided for each succeeding value 2 through 9, as. indicated. As willbe noted later, the medium of control, for effecting the drive of the numeral wheels 2 I, is produced through the nontoothed portion of the actuator gear 23.

Four pinions 26 are slidably mounted on associated splined shafts 21, and each shaft has one end thereof supported within the collar Il. Adjustment of said. pinions 26 along said splined shafts 2: is adapted to be effected by means of yoke. members 28 which extend from associated rack members I5, as best indicated in Fig. 3.

Adjustment of the rackA members I5 is adapted to be provided by means of setting levers 29, which levers are pivotally mounted on supports 3|, Each setting lever 29 has a gear segment portion 32 formi-ng a partv thereof. By means of pinions 33 meshingY with the gear segments 32,

and pinions- 34` meshing with teeth 35 of the rack' bars l5, adjustment o f the rack bars |5 and pinions 26 is adapted to be eiected. The pinions 33 and 34 are fixed to shafts 36e-36, which shafts are mounted Within bracketsl 3l-3ii- Four transmission 'gears 38, are rotativel'y mounted on associated bearings 39, which bearings are supported by and rotate with the drum shaft I6. An internal gear portion 4l forms a part of each transmission gear 38 and each internal gear has a pinion 42 meshing therewith. The pinions 42 are fixed on the splined shafts 27 and rotate within bearings 43 carried by discs 44. Each disc is supported by and rotates with the shaft I8 and the several discs are joined with the bearings 39 and collars i' by means of screw rods 40-40. As best shown in Fig.v 1, the screw rods 40 pass through an end disc 44a, collars 39 and discs 44 and have their screw threaded ends secured within collar li. Spacer sleeves are provided as at 48a, Fig. 1.

In the device illustrated, the first four numeral wheels of the accumulator mechanism I9, as viewed from the right of Fig. 1, are directly geared to the four transmission gears 38 by means of intermediate gears 46. The tens, hundreds and thousands numeral wheels preferably contain differential control means therein, such as disclosed in a co-pending application Serial No. 760,590. Tens transfer is effected by Geneva pinion control means 41 from a numeral wheel of a lower to a high order.

Adjustment of setting levers 29, will effect adjustment of the pinions 26 relative to the variable numbers of teeth of the actuator gear 23V in accordance with the value set, and further will effect setting of the selected value in the type wheels I3. A cycle of operation is then effected to rotate the printing drum I l, whereby the value set will be printed and registered.

Rotation of shaft I6 and collar l1 will move the splined shafts 21 and pinions 26 therewith. The pinions 26 will rotate while meshing with the teeth of the actuator gear 24 and will consequent-- ly effect rotation of associated pinions 42. Howvever, rotation of said pinions 42 will not cause the transmission gear 38 to rotate. But, when any pinion 2S engages with a non-toothed portion of the actuator gear 23, it will become choked when two alternate teeth thereof engage the nontoothed surface and will thereby cause an associated pinion 42 to discontinue rotation. Circumferential movement of the pinion shafts 21 around the axis of the drum shaft i6 will continue, and thereby cause movement of the transmission gear 38 which is associated with the said non-rotative pinion 42. The transmission gear 38 will thus drive an associated numeral Wheel 2| a distance agreeing with the value set.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that pinion 26 is a typical Geneva pinion having alternate long and short teeth to provide for eifective choking engagement with the non-toothed actuating surface of the actuator 23.

Rotation of the drum shaft relative to the pinions 34 is adapted to be effected without disengaging said pinions, due to the aligned teeth 48 on the drum shaft. Further description of the latter will be found in a co-pending application Serial No. 780,684.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In register actuating mechanism, the combination with readable numeral wheels of an accumulator member, of a transmission member geared to the accumulator member and rotatable about a horizontal axis, an actuator member positioned on the same axis as the transmission member and having a combined toothed and nontoothed .actuating surface, an actuator pinion are ranged for cyclical movement circumferentially about the axis of the transmission member and around the toothed and non-toothed surface of the actuator member, said actuator pinion being rotatable while engaging the teeth and non-rotatable while passing over the non-toothed surface of the actuator member, and a pinion controlled by the actuator pinion and arranged in driving relation with the transmission member, whereby the transmission and accumulator members are adapted to be driven while the actuator pinion moves non-rotatively over the nontoothed surface of the actuator member.

2. In register actuating mechanism, the combination with readable numeral wheels of an accumulator member, of a transmission member geared to the accumulator member and rotatable about a horizontal axis, an actuator member positioned on the same axis as the transmission member and having a variable toothed and a variable non-toothed actuating surface, a settable pinion adjustable relative to the variable toothed and non-toothed portions of the actuating surface, a cyclical drive arranged to move the pinion cil'- cumferentially about the axis of the transmission teeth and non-rotatable while passing over the non-toothed surface of the actuator member, and a pinion controlled by the settable actuator pinion and arranged in driving relation with the transmission member, whereby the transmission and accumulator members are adapted to be driven while the actuator pinion moves non-rotatively over the non-toothed surface of the actuator member.

3. In register actuating mechanism, the combination with readable numeral wheels of an accumulator member including a gear associated therewith, of a transmission gear meshing with the accumulator gear and rotatable about a horizontal axis, an actuator member positioned on the v r same axis as the transmission member and having a combined toothed and non-toothed actuating surface, a pinion associated with the actuator member, a pinion associated with the transmission member and controlled by the actuator pinion, a cyclical drive arranged to move the pinions the teeth and non-rotatable while passing over the non-toothed portion of the actuating surface of the actuator member, whereby the transmission and accumulator members are adapted to be driven while the actuator pinion moves non-rotatively over the non-toothed surface of the actuator member.

4. In register actuating mechanism, the combination with readable numeral wheels of an ac-r cumulator member, of a transmission memberA portion of the transmission member, a cyclical drive for simultaneously moving the pinlons circumferentially about the axis of the transmission member and around the internal teeth of their respective actuator and transmission members, said actuator pinion being rotatable while engaging the teeth of the actuator member and nonrotatable While passing over the non-toothed portion thereof, thereby causing the transmission and accumulator members to remain stationary when the actuator pinion rotates around the toothed portion of the actuator and causing movement of the transmission and accumulator members when the actuator pinion moves nonrotatively along the non-toothed actuating surface of the actuator.

5. In register actuating mechanism, the combination with readable numeral Wheels of an accumulator member, of a transmission gear having an internal toothed portion and further having an external toothed portion geared to the accumulator member, said transmission member being positioned for rotation about a horizontal axis, a stationary actuator gear having a combined internal toothed and non-toothed actuating surface and supported in axial alignment with the transmission gear, a pinion engaging the actuating surface of the actuator member, a shaft to which said pinion is xed for rotation therewith, a pinion xed to said shaft and meshing with the internal toothed portion of the transmission member, a cyclical drive for moving the shaft and pinions circumferentially about the axis of the transmission member and around the internal teeth of their respective actuator and transmission members, said actuator pinion being rotatable While engaging the teeth of the actuator member and non-rotatable while passing over the non-toothed portion thereof, thereby causing the transmisison and accumulator members to remain stationary when the actuator pinion rotates around the toothed portion of the actuator and causing movement of the transmission and accumulator members when the actuator pinion moves non-rotatively along the non-toothed actuating surface of the actuator.

FRANCIS J. ROUAN.

WALTER J. HANSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 618,158 Wolf Jan. 24, 1899 2,056,315 Frnfrock et al Oct. 6, 1936 2,124,383 Wheeler, Jr. et al. July 19, 1938 2,237,446 Nilsson Apr. 8, 1941 2,371,070 Sager et al Mar. 6, 1945 

